CCTV screens off in police blow to ‘Big Brother’ system

THE police force with the biggest beat to watch over is planning to abandon its CCTV screens.

The force which covers the largest geographical area in the UK is cutting back on CCTV funding

The move is the latest blow to Britain’s “Big Brother” system of five million security cameras.

Dyfed-Powys Police – which covers more than half of Wales – is likely to cut funding for the monitoring of CCTV after an independent investigation found it has had “little success in deterring violent crime or anti-social behaviour”.

CCTV images of the car of April Jones’s killer Mark Bridger were used in part of his prosecution, the force’s biggest case so far.

But a report ordered by Christopher Salmon, the Police and Crime Commissioner for Dyfed-Powys, concluded live monitoring of CCTV should stop and the removal of cameras would not result in “significant rises” in crime.

For the year to August, only 1.5 per cent of the force’s case files used publicly controlled CCTV evidence and 2.2 per cent used evidence from private systems.

Report author Instrom Security Consultants discovered that while cameras have a modest impact, they are most effective in cutting crime in car parks.

I’m giving the public what they ask me for – more bobbies on the beat

Christopher Salmon

Britain’s CCTV network is one of the largest in the world.

Shetland Islands and Corby Borough councils – among the smallest local authorities – each operate more cameras than San Francisco’s police.

Mr Salmon said: “We must spend every pound where it delivers.

"In the meantime, I’m giving the public what they ask me for – more bobbies on the beat.”

He said he will discuss the findings with the chief constable and county council leaders before agreeing to stop CCTV monitoring in the New Year.

John Munton, Neighbourhood Watch representative for Wales, said: “We need to keep CCTV in some form.

"A lot of the population feel safer with it around.”

Last night, former shadow Home Secretary David Davis MP said the findings showed that: “CCTV leads to massive expense and minimum effectiveness.”